Blog No 10
DolceVita
Greg Gregory
Mon 20 Oct 2014 09:54
Local Time 1130 (GMT +2)
Position 34:28.53N 07:33.21W
Distance in last 24 hours 160nm
Hi all,
First mate here. A bit of a misnomer really since my first shock was to find I was the only mate!
We had a good day or so in Gib, provisioning the boat and doing all the little jobs getting her ready.
We left at 1130hrs yesterday, just about on schedule. The forecast was for favourable winds. That was the second shock.
Within a couple of hours the winds picked up and kept on increasing. Soon we were in a force 7 (30 knots ), gusting up to severe gale 9 (42 knots). We had 2 knots of tide against and wave height was 2 to 2.5 metres making for a very uncomfortable crossing of the Gibraltar Straights.
At least the wind direction was from behind pushing us along at 8 to 9 knots the highest recorded speed at 12.8 knots as we surfed down some of the bigger rollers. And this was the first day and my first time in the Atlantic.
Within a few hours we were sailing down the coast of Morocco and the winds eased. So back to the galley for me to make a nice chicken curry for dinner.
This morning winds have died to virtually nothing so we are having to motor for a while. Hope its not too long as I prefer the silence of the sail. Now back to all those never ending jobs.
First mate TC, (or is it Billy no mates?)
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